Closing the book on a busy 2012

With the bulk of 2012 behind us, Streetwise can happily report it's been a year chock full of new developments and projects that have enhanced almost every corner of Oshkosh.

? On the west side, the much-anticipated Olive Garden opened on South Koeller Street this spring. TJ Maxx followed suit a few months later. And don't forget Qdoba and US Cellular opened up a little further south on Koeller this year, too.

? On the north side, crews have finished the building near the intersection of Jackson Street and Murdock Avenue that the national frozen yogurt chain Cherry Berry will call home.

Directly across Jackson from soon-to-be Cherry Berry, the community mourned the loss of the Columbus Club to the wrecking ball as its demolition made way for the north side's very own Dollar Tree.

? On the south side, Tamara the Cake Guru made sure the original Schoenberger's location at 1529 Oregon St. didn't stay empty for very long after Betty Schoenberger and her family sadly decided to end the bakery's 45-year run this fall.

? And downtown, the former City Center Hotel finally found the owners it's needed for 15 years and promptly closed down for a full-scale renovation that's due to be completed in spring.

? Then, there's suddenly sushi everywhere!

By our count, no less than three Oshkosh establishments opened and serve sushi now: Royal Kitchen, 2073 W. Witzel Ave.; Sakura Japanese Restaurant, 330 N. Koeller St.; and Manila Resto, 107 Algoma Blvd.

And there was much rejoicing.

? We're cautiously optimistic that the rather significant wave of new businesses - both local and national - that opened up around town will continue into 2013.

Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts is already under construction on South Koeller Street.

CVS Pharmacy has finally got everything in place to build its store at the corner of South Koeller and Ninth Avenue.

And we would not be surprised if State Highway 21's retail corridor becomes a focal point of development now that the Highway 41 interchange has been completed.